Muni boss monitors service

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
7:53 am PDT, Thursday, April 12, 2007

MTA director Nathaniel Ford times the departures of the Muni Metro lines leaving the Embarcadero station while monitoring glitches in the system in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 12, 2007 following three days of delays caused by the launch of the T-Third line.
PAUL CHINN/The Chronicle
**Nathaniel Ford less

MTA director Nathaniel Ford times the departures of the Muni Metro lines leaving the Embarcadero station while monitoring glitches in the system in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 12, 2007 following ... more

Photo: PAUL CHINN

Photo: PAUL CHINN

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MTA director Nathaniel Ford times the departures of the Muni Metro lines leaving the Embarcadero station while monitoring glitches in the system in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 12, 2007 following three days of delays caused by the launch of the T-Third line.
PAUL CHINN/The Chronicle
**Nathaniel Ford less

MTA director Nathaniel Ford times the departures of the Muni Metro lines leaving the Embarcadero station while monitoring glitches in the system in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 12, 2007 following ... more

Photo: PAUL CHINN

Muni boss monitors service

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2007-04-12 07:53:56 PDT -- Muni's chief took to the stations and trains today to monitor service and reassure testy riders, days after the transit agency opened a new streetcar line that has been slowing down service throughout the Metro system.

Standing at Embarcadero Station, where trains were moving through quickly, Nathaniel Ford vowed this morning to ride the rails and haunt the stations every day until the problems are fixed.

The new T-Third line has stalled commutes throughout the Municipal Railway system this week, angering passengers, who often have had to wait 30 minutes or more for a train because of mechanical breakdowns, power failures and streetcar bottlenecks.

The transit chief was at the Embarcadero Station because it has been one of the sources of problems this week. The station is one of two with turnarounds for all of the streetcar lines.

Ford, who arrived at the Embarcadero Station around 6:40 a.m., said he was out with his top deputies this morning to work with ground supervisors to make sure trains are on time, and identify potential problems. He also helped a couple of passengers with directions.

Around 7:30 a.m., the group headed to Fourth and King streets, where the T-Third crosses the J-Church, creating a potential for collisions.

Ford said he understands the importance of fixing any problems.

"We are far from out of the woods, this is really getting into crunch time," he said.